My eyes slowly peel themselves open as dust particles gently float down with the sunlight shining on me.
The man next to me has kept his promise and is long gone.
Funny though, I just had a bizarre dream where I…
Where I…
What happened in my dream again? I think there was a girl.
Oh well, it’s a dream anyway, it shouldn’t matter that much.
Out of the window, I watch as the wooden buildings bask in the morning sun, along with the purple vines of them, happily soaking in the sunlight or whatever they feed off. People walk past, all with something to do and somewhere to be. Some engage in idle chatter as the sunlight falls upon the pavement, making it appear to be glistening.
From the 2nd floor of this tavern, I can see above a few buildings. I still don't know my surroundings, but I can see that there's a snow-capped mountain range in the distance with a stationary purple cloud hovering just right above them.
I inhale deeply, expecting the fresh air of an unpolluted planet to circulate throughout my blood, only for me to start choking on the air.
A pungent smell suddenly fills the air. Is that poop?
A man with a cloth around his nose and lower face places a bucket filled with a brownish-black goop into a cart filled with other buckets of similar contents to my left.
Poor guy.
Well, that wasn’t exactly ideal, but this is my first morning in this world.
A smile creeps its way onto my face.
It feels as if every weight there was in my life has been lifted.
Now, for my first problem of the day. Where do I empty my bladder?
I get up and leave to start the day.
Just outside of my room is another door to the left. From what I could remember, I didn’t hear the lady go into this room last night when she was apologising to the others.
I open the door and inside the small room, the sharp scent of urine and refuse tickles my nostrils. Bingo.
Inside, the light coming from the small window near the ceiling shines on a singular wooden bucket, with several buckets stacked up next to it. Below the window sill are two buckets lined up, each covered with a cloth. These appear to be the source of the stench.
I didn’t expect this world to have toilets anyway, so I suppose this isn’t the worst.
Upon closer inspection, the open buckets have cloths attached to them to the side. I’m probably supposed to cover them and put them to the side after I finish.
Seeing enough, I do a number one and place the bucket to the side, covering it with the cloth. I do it quickly to escape the smell as fast as possible.
Alright, time to head downstairs.
The inn is filled with quite a few people, all silently shovelling what looks like porridge into their mouths.
“Morning. Would you still like your breakfast?” The innkeeper says while only making brief eye contact.
I nod and sit down at one of the wooden tables. The bench creaks as I put my weight on it.
“Harvey! One Poriah!”
Sounds like I’m getting something interesting.
Suddenly, what sounds like multiple men walk into the tavern. The floor creaks with their every step.
“Hey there Deborah! The usual as usual.” One of them says in an enthusiastic British accent.
I turn to look and see what could only be described as orcs.
All three of them have large muscular builds, with green skin, hairy complexions and oversized canines forming an overbite. Even though two of them are shirtless, wearing only leather pants and shoes, they look surprisingly tidy and clean. Funnily, the one with a white shirt on seems to have some dirt on it, making him look the filthiest.
“Oooh it’s you boys. It’s been a while. Take a seat, take a seat.”
The orcs listen to her, sitting down while she yells at her husband to cook three of a dish called a “Manka.” That’s something I’d like to try too.
“How have you been?” She says while she casually leans on the table.
“Ah y’know.” One of them replies in a harsh deep voice. “Construction work as usual.”
“Grommy ta huge bugger’s soul’s got riddled for a month it did.” The enthusiastic one says as he punches his companion in the shoulder, strangely enough not prompting a response. He doesn’t even flinch.
The guy who got punched simply nods.
“Ohh, I see. It wasn’t that bad was it?” replies the Innkeep.
“Well, he’s alright now, but he hasn’t been able to talk.”
“It’s all goods with me. He was a mighty yapper he was. Some peace and quiet’s been due.”
“I see. Everything all right at work then?”
“Ah crickey, it’s been down bad Deborah. Half of the boyz’s been done in like Grommy. He’s actually one of the healthier ones. We’ve been down on men we have.”
The silent orc nods again.
“Ta boss is getting desperate. He’s willing to hire anyone with arms now.”
So they’re willing to hire anyone… It looks like an opportunity has arisen.
“It’s downright rarted. We can’t afford to work with a twig we can’t.”
Deborah frowns slightly and gives a mild look of concern.
“Well it should be fine, nobody who isn’t able would work in construction.”
“Ya’d be surprised. Many looking for work go for construction. It’s one of ta easier jobs to get into. Ta work laid out for ya is easy too.”
Though I might not be the most athletic person, I do consider myself reasonably fit. I often went out to run in my past world, and I wasn’t half bad at lifting either.
This should be quite good for me.
These dudes look like they carry piles of bricks with ease but I should be able to carry planks and hammer down nails.
After a while of me pondering, without me even noticing, Deborah placed a wooden bowl and a cup of water in front of me. On the tray she’s carrying, there are three more brown, grainy dishes in bowls, though I can’t quite make out the rest of the details.
Within the bowl she gave me is a bowl of sticky, white, grainy porridge, or Poriah as she called it. The steam rising from the bowl is quite mellow, yet pleasant. However, there’s quite little in the bowl, I feel quite ripped off here.
I try to scoop some out with the wooden spoon. The texture feels dense and rich; quite hard to stir around.
Though there’s only a small amount of porridge, this is my first proper meal in this world. Time for a taste.
As soon as the porridge enters my mouth, a goopy texture wraps around my tongue. Each grain has a slimy texture coating it, independent of the milky liquid it was bathed in. My mouth feels like it’s getting exercise from the amount of chewing I’m doing.
The taste itself has a lot left to be desired; it’s not horrible or anything, it’s just bland. After every bite, I quickly feel myself getting more and more satiated. Incredible.
It’s quite filling for how cheap it is. My jaws are in pain, but thankfully I don’t have to talk much later.
I wait and stay for a little longer as I observe the Orcs. They seem to be enjoying their meal.
Eventually, they get up and leave, with me following closely behind.
